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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;John Anthony, post: 2529581, member: 42773&quot;]Every time Dafne coins come up I feel compelled to quote a bit of my essay on these from a previous post, as they constitute some of the earliest Christian symbolism on Roman coinage...</p><p><br /></p><p>Anyone even slightly familiar with Roman coin designs would have to ask, &quot;Why should Daphne appear on a coin?&quot; She is a very minor figure in Greek mythology, a Naiad, a nymph associated with bodies of freshwater. Her only claim to fame is that she resolutely rejected the advances of Apollo. But therein lies her importance on these coins.</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="https://www.cointalk.com/attachments/apollo-and-dafne-jpg.346548/" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> </p><p>Apollo and Dafne by Baroque sculptor Gian Lorenzo Barnini, source: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galleria_Borghese" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galleria_Borghese" rel="nofollow">Galeria Borghese</a>.</p><p><br /></p><p>When Constantine first began rebuilding Byzantium in 326, as a memorial to his victories, there was no intention of moving the Roman capitol. Constantinople was simply rebuilt within its old, Severan walls. But by 328, the project was extended to eight times the size of the older city. Constantine systematically stripped Roman temples of their valuables and used them to adorn the new Christian city. In this context of anti-paganism, the representation of Daphne makes much more sense.</p><p><br /></p><p>&quot;The coinage of this mint with CONSTANTINIANA DAFNE reverse was produced as the exclusive type for Constantine at this mint for more than the last two years before the city&#039;s dedication, but it was never produced elsewhere. Its special significance was admirably demonstrated by McGregor (SAN 1984) in his article <i>Constantiniana Dafne - a different point of view. </i>McGregor set out the religious significance of this reverse type - portraying Constantine as Dafne, turning away from the symbols of the pagan religion (Apollo and Sol) toward the palm, the symbol of Christianity.&quot; (Speck, Huston)[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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